Soup-e Jo - Persian Chicken Barley Soup

This healthy and delicious سوپ جو soup-e jo (barley soup) is made with chicken, sweet carrots, and a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice. It's the perfect comfort food, nourishing, flavorful, and easy to make. I especially recommend it for college students living away from home who are tired of campus meals and unhealthy takeout. All you need is a working stove, a few simple ingredients, and a good dose of enthusiasm.

It's officially spring, but the pleasant weather hasn't quite arrived yet! For my first post of the new season, I had hoped to prepare a light dish with fresh vegetables, but I'm still waiting for that exhilarating moment when I can open all the windows and let the fresh air fill the house, and truly feel spring all around me. I can't wait to put back my outdoor birdhouses and wind chimes, which I had brought inside before the Sandy Storm last fall. Spring is such a fleeting season here in New York; it arrives late and disappears before you know it.

While I was growing up in the southern region of Iran, early spring meant beautiful weather and breathtaking landscapes covered in wildflowers. One of my favorite springtime memories goes back to یک روز بهاری (one spring day) when I was a seventh-grader in our small town of Masjed Soleiman in Khouzestan province.

 I remember watching a flock of wild parrots pass over our house early one morning. I didn't know where they were coming from or where they were headed, but my father, who loved birds and at one point kept nearly two hundred of them (and would have had more if my mother hadn't objected!), suggested we try to catch a few, possibly more, had suggested catching those parrots. Excited by the idea, I eagerly joined him.

The next morning, at the crack of dawn, I watched my father bring out an old mesh-wire cage and place it by a large open window. He tied a long string to the latch on the cage door, sprinkled some seeds inside, and left a small trail leading out. We waited patiently. Before long, a couple of parrots from the flock approached our house, and one of them followed the seed trail into the cage. My father gently pulled the string, and the door clicked shut. It was a thrilling moment, and our joy continued for the next few as we eventually captured five beautiful parrots.

Several days later, I came home from school, joyfully refilled the parrot's water bowl, and gave them more seeds. Things seemed calm in our household, and my mother appeared to be tolerating our little hunting adventure.. However, it turned out she had endured it for as long as she could. 

One day, while I was still at school, she took the cage out in the back of the house over the hills, opened the door, and released the wild parrots into the open sky. To my horror, when I came home, I found the cage empty on the lonely porch. I think I went through each stage of grief except the last one, acceptance, in the span of ten minutes before heading down to the kitchen, where I knew she would be.

 I don't remember exactly what I said; it's all a blur, but I remember what she told me: پرنده جاش تو قفس نیست "Birds don't belong in a cage." "Birds need to be free and to be able to go wherever they wish," she said. Through our heartfelt connection, I understood what she meant, and to this day, I am still learning the depth of that poignant lesson.

Soup-e Jo - Chicken Barley Soup 

Ingredients
Serves 6-8

-1 1/2 cups pearl barley, rinsed and soaked in cool water for an hour
-4 pieces of chicken (drumsticks or wings)
-1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
-1 large onion, peeled and quartered
-2 celery stalks, cut into chunks
-2 garlic cloves
-1/4 teaspoon turmeric
-2 bay leaves
-Salt and pepper to taste (I would suggest a freshly ground black pepper for this recipe)
-2-3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime/lemon juice
-Chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Method

1. Arrange the quartered onions at the bottom of a large stockpot. Add the chicken, celery, garlic, bay leaves, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Add enough water to cover all of the ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium-low. Cover, and cook on medium-low for about 45-50 minutes or until the chicken is fully cooked. 
2. Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool. Strain the soup and set the broth aside. Separate the chicken from the bones and shred it into small pieces.
3. Place the soaked and drained barley in a large pot. Add the strained chicken broth and enough water to cover up to 3 inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat, partially cover the pot, and simmer for 45 minutes.
4. Add the shredded chicken and the shredded carrots to the pot. Stir well, adding more hot water if needed. Cover and cook for another 40- 45 minutes over medium-low heat.
5. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, stir in the lemon juice, taste, and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and serve with warm bread.

Enjoy!